Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would win over a touring English side. To gain the upper hand, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly large four-finger whisky pours, customarily poured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned is inspired by that original concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it easier for a domestic environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Place everything in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for up to 21 days.
To serve, dispense approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass containing ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
